


Seeing What's in Front of Me

by Andromeda_Nova



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Aerith and Barret are only mentioned, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, fem!reader - Freeform, mentions of Cloud's Trama, minimal swearing, saving each other in battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24958273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andromeda_Nova/pseuds/Andromeda_Nova
Summary: Two friends struggle to admit their feelings to each other and spent more time thinking of a reason just remain friends instead of acting upon their feelings.
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Reader, Cloud Strife/You
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've wrote in 3 years. First piece for this fandom too. I actually really like it so out into the world it goes. Edited by myself so I'm not sure if I caught everything. I have 4 chapters written and have no idea how to show that this 1 of 4.

The table was taken over by old newspapers protecting the surface from different colored paints. The room was fairly quiet as Marlene and Denzel were painting. Every now and then you could hear the sound of a brush being cleaned by them to pick up a new color.

Tifa and Y/N were walking around the kitchen cleaning up the mess that was made during dinner. Making homemade pizza sure was fun but it sure does create quite the mess. Tifa focused on washing the dishes that Y/N brought over to her. Y/N was wiping counters down, putting any leftovers away in the fridge and unused ingredients away. 

The soft piter paders of rain began creating such a sense of peace and comfort between everyone in the house. There had been no plans to open the bar that Monday evening to give Tifa and Y/N a break after the rush of the weekend. 

The bell on the door open rang. Did they not lock it yet? She was sure they did. Y/N not even looking up at who walked in spoke. “I’m sorry we’re closed for today.”

Cloud held back a smirk. Every single time it felt like this happened. “Good thing I’m not a customer then.” Within seconds there were many greetings from everyone inside. Y/N placed her head in her palm. Not again, that just keeps happening between the two of them. She really should just start looking over at the door already.

Marlene jumped out of her chair and went over to Cloud. “We made pizza.” She started pulling him over to the fridge for the leftovers. It was really sweet to watch. He could be a bit awkward with those two kids but he did his best.

Tifa placed the dish she rinsed off on to the drying rack by the sink. “We could heat up some of the leftovers if you haven’t eaten yet.”

His stomach grumbled a bit. “That would be nice.”

Marlene went back to paint while Cloud ate the leftover pizza that they made. The pizza that they made was a bit misshapen but it was still great. It was clearly made by Marlene and Denzel. Y/N and Tifa did help them but they really just let it be their project, only guiding them along when they needed help. It would have been nice if Cloud was there with them to help but he was out making deliveries most of the day. 

Y/N looked over at the clock. It was getting close to time to get the kids ready for bed. Y/N went over and started cleaning up the unused paper and leftover paint. They took a few of the finished paintings that were dry and put them on the fridge while taking some old drawings down, setting them aside to be put up later.

"Come over and wash your hands off." Tifa had made room at the sink for the two of them. Denzel got up and headed towards the sink.

"Can I finish it first? It's almost done." Marlene asked. Y/N came and looked over at the painting Marlene was working on. It was a painting of her and her dad. 

"Go ahead. I can take a picture of it and send it to Barret. I'm sure he'll love it." Y/N told the young child with a smile. 

"Thank you!" Marlene went back to work with excitement. It was just really cute to watch her paint.

It took about 15 minutes before the two of them were ready to go upstairs for the night. Cloud had just finished his dinner up and volunteered to take Marlene and Denzel up to their room. He brought his plate over to the sink before he walked upstairs with Marlene and Denzel. He was tired and just ready to take a shower at this point. He had such a long day with deliveries. It wasn't the most glamorous but he enjoyed it. It was something people needed and it made him feel helpful.

He actually enjoyed talking with the two kids. It was one of the few things that could make him smile. So they may not have been related by blood but to him they were all still his family. It may not have been the most traditional family but sometimes your family was all friends you gained on way to beat up your childhood hero and an orphan you found outside near one of your friend’s abandoned church. 

Back downstairs Y/N and Tifa had finished cleaning up the kitchen and dining area. All of the paint placed neatly away back where it belonged. The clean dishes were stacked neatly to dry on top of a rack. The two of them, not quite tired yet were just sitting and chatting. 

“So how many times have you’ve mistaken Cloud as a customer?” Tifa teased. 

“Ok it doesn’t happen that often. Plus you have done it a couple times too.” Y/N played with her necklace, moving the snowflake pendant back and forth between her fingers. Y/N looked down at the list of deliveries Cloud had coming up in the next few days. Y/N pointed at one of the town’s names. “Isn’t that where I got my favorite watercolors from?”

Tifa moved closer and looked at the name on the sheet of paper. “Yeah I think so. Why? Gonna ask him to grab you some more while he’s there?” Tifa thought about some of the spices she had from there and walked over to check if she was low on any. She needed a restock. “I can tell him to pick some more watercolors and spices while he’s there.”

“You don’t have to. I think I’m gonna go with him.” Y/N started organizing the papers. “It will be easy to pick paints that I want out and I could grab the spices too while he’s actually on delivery.” Y/N looked at the map of Gaia that was with the papers. It would all get easily done in a day.

“You should let him know in the morning before he leaves.” Tifa looked around the bar to see if there was anything left to clean up before she finished for the night down there.

Y/N got off of the chair they were sitting on. “I’m actually gonna let him know now before he goes to bed. Maybe also get ready for bed after too.”

Tifa looked over at the clock. “I should go to bed too.” 

They made their way upstairs to the shared living area. 4 bedrooms and one bathroom were up there that they all shared. The biggest bedroom was shared between Marlene and Denzel. The other smaller bedrooms belonged to Tifa, Cloud and Y/N. It was definitely a bit crowded of a household. It was nice, Y/N wouldn’t change a thing about her living situation.

Tifa waved goodnight to Y/N, made her way into her room and closed the door. Y/N looked over to Cloud’s room and saw the light that was peeking through the bottom of the door. There was the sound of him moving around trying to remain quiet as to not wake up Marlene and Denzel who were trying to fall asleep. Y/N softly knocked on Cloud’s door a few times. Within a few seconds it opened leaving Y/N face to face with Cloud who was now leaning against the door frame and holding the door open with his other hand.

“You need something?” He asked, trying to hide how tired he was. It had just been a long day and he desperately wanted some sleep already. 

She spoke quietly. “Can I actually come in and tell you? I don’t want to wake them up.” Y/N tilted her head toward Marlene’s and Denzel’s room for a quick moment. Cloud pulled the door more open, moved out the way of the door and walked over to his bed. Y/N walked in and closed the door behind herself.

Y/N leaned against the door and looked over at Cloud. “So I saw where you have deliveries tomorrow.” Cloud sat down on the bed, he had a knee up with his other leg laid out on the bed. Almost creating a wall between the two of us. “I was wondering if I could possibly go with you tomorrow?”

He dropped the leg he had up off of the side of the bed. “Is there something you need from there?”

“Yeah. I wanted to get some new watercolors and Tifa is low on some spices from there. I thought while you were off making the deliverers, I could go pick all of it up.” Y/N walked closer as they talked. “It would take a lot less time than you having to do everything.” Y/N stopped when they got about 3 feet from the bed.

Cloud looked up at Y/N. “Are you sure? Could end up being a long day if we run into anything.”

“Yeah I’m sure. I want to pick the colors out myself and I know exactly which spices Tifa needs. Plus if we do run into something I could heal you if try something dumb.” Cloud smirked and shook his head.

“That’s only cause you won't be paying attention to something.” He teased right back.

“Trying to kill something else isn’t being distracted, it’s trying to make sure we both live.” Y/N laughed. “I’ll see you in the morning then.” Y/N moved back towards the door. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Y/N left the room and made her way over to Tifa’s. They knocked on the door.

"Come in. It's open." Y/N let themselves into the room. Tifa was in pajamas already and braiding her hair down for the night.

"Guess who's getting your spices tomorrow?" Y/N sat down on the bed and took over the braid for Tifa to finish it up for her. It was looking a little messy.

"I figured that. I heard you laughing in there." She handed the rubber band over for her braid. "What were you talking about?"

"Just joking about having to save each other in a fight" Y/N finished the braid and let it fall from her hands. "You know every time I think I got over my crush on him, there ends up being a reason for the two of us to be alone for a bit.”

Tifa turned around to face Y/N. “Well you did want to go with him. It’s all on you this time unlike before.”

Y/N crossed her legs on the bed and leaned back a bit with her arms still holding up for support. “This time I wanted watercolors. That’s different then being sent out to go get potions for everyone or everyone leaving us to be stuck in the same hotel room.” Y/N fell back on the bed. “If anything Cloud looks too good for my own good. It’s a miracle I haven’t turned to a blubbering mess around him.” Tifa laughed. 

“It’s probably since you have known Cloud for so long.” Tifa pointed out.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Y/N looked up at the ceiling fan rotating around just trying to focus on something other than Cloud. It always felt a little weird talking about her crush on Cloud to Tifa. Y/N knew of her past crush on him from when she was growing up. Tifa grew out of her crush already to only see him as a friend now, but it always felt like it was better to just not try anything with Cloud. Just in case it got awkward between the three of them. 

“I think you should ask him out.” Y/N shot back up to look at Tifa with a face that only read as confusion. “I’m serious.”

“Even if I asked him out, he would say yes without realizing it’s a date, probably thinking I just want to hang out. I’m gonna look and feel like a fool.” Y/N pulled her knees in close. “He's really cute but so oblivious to stuff like this.” She sighed. “Plus he’s been through so much shit. Would he even be at a place where he feels okay with starting a relationship? For all I know, he has absolutely no plans right now of even dating someone. I wouldn’t even blame him, He’s been through so much.” 

“I mean it never hurts to ask at least.” She was definitely trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Yes it will. My heart is fragile.” Tifa held back a laugh. Y/N looked at her with fake shock. “I’m not joking.”

“I know. I know. It’s just that you both have so many walls up but go about it in different ways.”

“We all got walls up.” Y/N turned her head away. 

“It’s okay to let them down. You both clearly care about each other.” 

“Tifa, you are my best friend and I love you. Can we shut up about this?” Y/N got off of her bed. “We both know Cloud and there is no way anything going to happen between us”

Tifa sighed. Her friends were idiots. If it wasn’t Y/N and her having talks just like this, it was her trying to get Cloud to make a move instead of starting at Y/N from a distance. The two of them always went on about any excuse of why it wouldn't work. She heard every excuse in the book from the two of them. It drove her insane at times. It would be a miracle if they could see past themselves finally see what was in front of them.

"I'm just gonna let you go to bed already. It's late." Y/N left the room as quickly as they could. Only to be met with Cloud right in front of them.

"Thought you would have been asleep already." There was no way Cloud could have heard everything that Tifa and them were talking about. Y/N was sure they were quiet enough, nothing to worry about.

"Just wanted some water."

"Oh okay." Y/N moved over to the door of her own room. "I'll see you in the morning then."

"Be ready at 9." 

"Got it. See you then." Y/N walked in the room leaving Cloud by himself in the hall. 

Cloud heard almost everything Y/N and Tifa talked about. He really was going to get water at first, but then he heard his name mentioned. He knew it was wrong to listen in but he wanted to make sure what they were saying wasn’t bad. Of course he knew they weren’t saying anything bad, he still felt that same wave of panic he got as a kid. Sometimes it felt better to listen just to know that they were only saying good things.

The good things he did hear, there was no way he expected any of it. Y/N had a crush on him. The same Y/N he has known for almost 3 years. He has had many people openly speak to him about how they like him. It was all he heard when he came back to Midgar, it just annoyed him. But that was way different than from how all those people acted compared to what he overheard from Y/N.

Y/N sounded like they were focused on making sure he was comfortable before even thinking to make a move. If it was that first year they met and Y/N asked him out. There was no doubt in his mind, he would have turned them down within seconds. But now, well Y/N was one of the few people he was closest with. Y/N knew exactly when he needed space and when he really needed someone there with him.

There were so many nights where Y/N refused to leave him alone. They never forced Cloud to talk, but they still kept him company. Just sitting there enjoying the silence. Cloud would just be sitting on his bed reading a book, trying to keep his mind busy, with Y/N laying across the end of his bed sketching. There would be the few times within those nights where they would show each other what the other was doing and just talk about it.

He never said it aloud but he really appreciated those nights. Y/N cared about him which he's known for the longest time. They were just there for him. Y/N just was the stability he needed in life. 

Cloud went back to his room, forgetting about the water, and laid on his bed. Y/N had a crush on him. He never expected that and now he was stuck trying to figure out how he felt. He turned on his side, trying to get comfortable and saw the blanket he kept for Y/N laying folded on a chair. Well shit. 

Did he have feelings of his own for Y/N?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give ya'll another chapter before I go edit the last bit of chapter 3 and all of chapter 4. Also Thank you to those who are reading it means a lot to me.

Y/N woke up to an alarm screaming at her to get up. There was no way she had ever been a morning person. She moved her hand towards the nightstand trying to grab the phone without looking and knocked it on the floor. If she didn't have to get out of bed before, she definitely had to now. 

She wiggled her way out of the warm fluffy covers, getting on the floor to grab the phone that fell between the nightstand and bed. Finally turning off the alarm. It was 8:17. Y/N stood up, stretching as she moved towards her closet. 

She pulled out a tank top, an old leather jacket and a pair of jeans. After changing into them and moving her night clothes into a small hamper, Y/N grabbed a belt that had a small knife attached to it. She wrapped the belt around her thigh. 

Opening the jacket pockets there was her gloves. Well they were an old pair that Tifa gave her. They were well worn and had the charm of wanting to keep a friend safe. There was a little flower Aerith had drawn on the gloves years ago. It had been drawn on multiple times to keep it from fading away.

Y/N grabbed the black marker that was on the nightstand to give the flower a quick draw over. Once she was done she placed the gloves on her hands. She was close to the late cetra. They met at the leaf house in their childhood. Aerith was new to the sector. Y/N had only been there with her parents for a month. So she still felt very new to the area. With Aerith also being the new girl it was easy for them to get along.

The amount of plants Aerith gave Y/N was in the hundreds. It was forever till the two of them figured out that Y/N could only keep an aloe alive. It was when they were teens where they had to split up the plant because it got too big. Y/N could only smile at the memory. She missed her friend so much, all she could do was keep going on. 

She grabbed the boots that sat on the floor near her door. Untying the laces before pulling the boots onto her feet and tying them back up. Looking over at the clock it was 8:42. Still enough time to grab some breakfast. She grabbed the small backpack that contained her wallet and placed her phone in. 

Y/N left the room, going to the restroom to brush her teeth quickly before heading downstairs. Tifa was already up moving around the kitchen. "Morning Tifa." Tifa popped her head up from behind the fridge door.

"Good morning." She pulled out a jug of orange juice. "Do you want some?" 

“No thanks, I’m good.” Y/N walked around to the pantry and pulled the bread out.

“Did you pack some extra clothes?” She pulled out the jam and set it on the counter. 

“It’s supposed to take half a day. Of course I didn’t.” Tifa turned towards Y/N. She had her arms crossed and frown on her face. “Oh, it will be fine.”

“Did you even check the forecast?”

“Well no.” 

“There might be a snow storm that comes though. And Cloud hasn’t gone through that area in a while too, could be more out there than normal. What if you get stuck out there late?” Y/N sighed. Tifa did have a point. It was a little annoying but Y/N knew it came out of her because she cared so much. Can’t really be mad at someone who just wants to make sure you are going to be okay.

“I don’t think that will happen but I’ll go grab some extra clothes in case.” Y/N placed the bread on the counter. “Can you make me some toast? I’ll go make sure Cloud has some too.”  
Tifa unfolded her arms and her face softened. “Sure.” You could see the worry drain from her. “I’ll throw some sandwiches in too. Just in case.” 

Y/N went over and gave her friend a quick hug. “Thank you.” She made her want back up the stairs. Once she was at the top of the stairs, Y/N saw Cloud walking out of his room. She told him what Tifa had said. They both went to their rooms to grab some clothes before heading downstairs. The two of them didn’t think it was necessary but sometimes it was just best not to argue with Tifa.

After eating a quick breakfast, Tifa making sure they had everything they could need without over packing the two of them, Cloud and Y/N finally made their way out the door. The two got onto Cloud’s bike and were finally on their way. 

Y/N watched the scenery as they rode by. It was one of the few things she did miss about traveling around the world. She remembered when they would have to stop somewhere and she would try and sketch out the scenery around them before they would leave. There was a lot of looking out of hotel window sketches. Her favorites were when they camped out in the open. 

Usually then she would try and sketch her friends while they sat around the campfire. Sometimes she would convince them to do a silly pose for her real quick. Those usually resulted in quite a big laugh from Barret when Y/N showed the finished work. 

Y/N was pulled out of her memories when they went over a bump. She held on tighter to Cloud. She wasn't scared, it was more of a reflex. Y/N went back to focusing on the surroundings within seconds. They still had a ways to go before they ran into what would be the first of many monsters on the way.

-

The two of them made it into town very late that day. There were more monsters out than usual throughout the way there. The two of them were tired, cold and wanted a shower. With the sun already setting and temperature dropping lower, they decided it would be better to just go to an inn for the night. They would have more time to drop off packages and pick things up in the morning. Tifa went and predicted everything perfectly. Y/N would have to remind herself to thank Tifa when they got back.

They were both covered in scratches, a few bruises and a layer of dirt had covered their clothes. There was nothing serious to worry about. Y/N had been healing the both of them throughout many of the monster encounters. The most damage done was a rip on Y/N's jeans, the rip was her left leg by her calf. It probably would have been worse if Cloud hadn’t told her to get out the way. 

Cloud looked like he really could use some sleep after everything and he felt like he could sleep forever. The good thing about fighting besides someone is that things could get done faster. The bad thing was he couldn’t help but feel the need to help protect her. Protecting Y/N was exactly what he had been focused on. Looking back on it, probably wasn't the world's best idea. Even for being more of a mage Y/N could kick some ass even without the help of materia.

Maybe it was because he could only think of the conversation Y/N had with Tifa yesterday. He hadn’t figured out exactly what he felt for Y/N just yet but had to make sure she stayed alive. They had so much life to live still. He couldn’t stand the idea of losing Y/N. He’s lost too many already. 

There were so many times he lost someone, his Mom, Zack, Aerith. It haunted Cloud, making him like he had to live for everyone of them. Their smiles always seemed to haunt him. They were all gone too soon. What he would give to have them back, to hug his mom, goof off with Zack or laugh with Aerith. 

He felt a squeeze on his arm. He looked over at the culprit. “You looked out of it. You okay?” Y/N was back to looking at him with concern again. Different than when she was concerned in battle. Her face was soft with worry with a brave smile that was holding back a frown. Her hand lingered on his bicep. 

He hadn't realized they stopped walking towards the inn. He brought his hand up and placed it on top of her's. He hadn't even noticed he was about to go into a spiral of depressive guilt. "Thank you." He gently squeezed her hand back before both of their hands fell back to their sides.

They continued their walk to the inn. Cloud took some stolen glances at Y/N as she called Tifa to let her know she was right. Cloud felt a flurry touch his arm. He looked up to see snow beginning to come down. Well Tifa was right about both things now. They stood outside the inn as Y/N finished up the call. They were standing close together trying to remain warm. Cloud watched the snow fall, it was peaceful watching it fall. 

Y/N finished the call and they headed in the building. Cloud went and stood off to the side while Y/N got them a room. He wouldn’t have his own room but he would at least have his own bed to sleep in. She looked annoyed as she talked with the owner of the inn. He was about to go over to see if she needed help until Y/N was handed some keys. 

She walked over to Cloud. “So they are pretty much booked except for one room.”

“Shouldn’t that be good then?” He interrupted confused why Y/N would be upset.

“Maybe if that room had two beds.” Oh there was why. He sighed. “It’s the only inn in town so it’s kinda our only option.”

Cloud pointed at the keys that she held. “So you got it.”

“Yeah. It’s getting darker outside and we’re both tired. It’s not like we haven’t dealt with something like this before.” She looked up at the ceiling rolling her eyes at the situation before looking back at Cloud. “Let’s just go up.” 

The two of them entered the small room. It had a Queen bed, a small table with a very uncomfortable looking chair, a tiny closet and a bathroom. The room had a window that looked out at the town with curtains that were long enough to bunch up the last of the fabric onto the floor. By the bed there were two nightstands. Only the right one had a lamp on top of it. The left one remained empty except for a small notepad and pen. 

They went to placing weapons on the table or leaning against the wall. Cloud took his boots off and placed them close to the door. "I'll sleep on the floor or the chair." He began to take off the paldorn that he wore on his left shoulder.

Y/N unbuckled a pouch from their leg. "No way. The owner of the inn said heat keeps going in and out the entire place. You'll freeze. It’s 29 degrees out there.” Y/N unlaced the boots and looked up at him. “The bed is huge. We can just share it. It's not like they gave extra blankets for you to sleep on the floor with anyway.”

Cloud looked away focusing on the snow coming, blowing against the window. He remembered the ride to get here. It may have been 29 degrees, he was used to that type of temperature. He grew up in that. What he could never get used to was the wind that could cut through your skin. They were lucky the snow started after they entered the hotel. He looked back over to Y/N who had taken their jacket off already. Their black tank top showed old scars from past battles where their magic couldn’t heal.

He felt the chill of the room. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

Y/N sat on the full sized bed. “It won’t.” They fell back on the bed. “This is the most comfy bed I’ve laid on in a while.” 

Y/N sat back up and pulled their bag closer, pulling out some clothes to sleep and got up. “I’m going to go take a shower real quick. Think you could find us some food real quick?” They asked while getting up and moving closer to the small bathroom in the shared room.

“I thought you brought food with us.” Cloud walked over to the other bag that they both brought with them and checked it. He pulled out a bin that had some sandwiches. Some of the ingredients had slid around. Both sandwiches were perfectly fine. Cloud looked up to tell Y/N but they already had closed the door and headed in the shower. He placed the sandwiches back down. He would eat later in a bit anyway.

Cloud finished taking any armor and belts off while he waited for his turn. He walked over to the window to look outside at the snow falling. It was sticking to the ground but not the pavement. Must not have been cold enough the past few days.

Y/N opened the door and looked over at Cloud. "Hey, the water is freezing the moment you turn it on. Stays cold too." She was pat drying her hair with a towel as she walked over to bed. "Guess we just stay cold here."

"Seems like it. You can stand by the window and feel it still." He walked away from the window after closing the curtains. It was dark out but you could still see the snow fall with the help of lamp posts outside.

They both ate in silence together before Cloud headed in to take a shower. It gave Y/N a chance to look through the room to see if there was an extra blanket anywhere. It was a bit awkward that they had to share the bed. It didn’t help that Cloud preferred his space. There were not many people Cloud would let be physically close to him and even less emotionally. Right now he was probably the closest with Tifa, Barret and Y/N. 

There were nights where the two of them would hang out together, those were calm and peaceful. Her favorite nights had to be when the four of them would hang out downstairs in the bar together while the kids slept. They would tell each other anything they missed while being out of town. This would usually be while eating food and having drinks. There was always teasing and jokes. On many of those nights they even managed to get a laugh out of Cloud.

Y/N opened up the closet door and found a fluffy white blanket folded up on top of the shelf. She reached up pulling the blanket down towards her. She had a blanket similar to this one at home. The amount of times she would fall asleep at her desk drawing only to wake up in her bed with a fluffy black blanket on her. She never was quite sure who always moved her but she had a suspicion that it was a certain chocobo hair boy. 

She would bring it up to Tifa while they ate breakfast while Cloud would just avoid any eye contact with the two of them. Yeah it had to be Cloud, only if he would own up to it so Y/N could actually thank him. She walked back over towards the bed, unfolding the blanket as she walked. 

Y/N heard the water turn off and in a few minutes she then heard the bathroom door opening. "I found a single extra blanket in the closet. It's not much but better than just that comforter." Y/N said not even looking at Cloud after he closed the bathroom door.

She was placing the blanket on the bed. The blanket didn't even really fit on the bed. It was more of a throw blanket if anything, at least it was soft and looked warm.

"Just put it on your side." Y/N turned her head around to see Cloud standing right behind her. He was standing closer than they were both used to. It was a miracle that she didn’t bump heads with him by accident. She turned her back to facing the bed.

"That wouldn't be fair to you." Cloud said as close as he could without being in her ear. She could feel his breath as he spoke. What was he doing?

"You stay cold, just keep on your side." Y/N took a step forward creating what small space she could between the two of them. It actually gave her a chance to turn her head better to look at him.

"You're shivering right now." Cloud not wanting to make his friend uncomfortable, walked over to his side of the bed. She was clearly making space. Did he make it weird by standing that close to her?

"I'm tired. I don't know what you're talking about." 

"You can't claim you aren't cold when you are always wearing a sweater." His sweater did look warm. She thought about trying to convince him to borrow it for the night. That might be too weird though. They were already supposed to be sleeping in the same bed but wearing his clothes too. She was probably overthinking it but went against asking him anyway.

He rolled his eyes. He was cold but he wasn't gonna tell Y/N that. Cloud walked around to the right side of the bed and got in. Trying to take as little space as possible. He laid on his side facing away from Y/N. "Go to bed. I want to be back before 2."

"Might not happen with the snow out there." She crawled into bed laying on her back. "I was looking on my phone. It looks like it will either pass or we might get stuck."

"We should find you some extra blankets then."

Y/N smiled, shaking her head. "I told you i'll be fine."

Cloud leaned over turning off the lamp that was on the nightstand, leaving the two of them in darkness. "Sure you will."

"If I start freezing, I'll just take your shirt." Y/N joked, half joked, not even joked? She pulled the covers in close and turned over on her side. “Good night”

“Good night.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wrote most of this chapter first. Just a random fact about my writing process if you were curious.

Cloud felt the warmth of the sun hit his face, the light shining in from the window waking him up. He blinked his eyes open. Looking down at his chest, he saw Y/N laying her head on him still peaceful asleep shivering slightly from the still cold room. The blankets had been moved off of her which now rested towards the middle of her back. He wasn’t quite sure when she ended up on him like this in the night but it didn’t bother him. 

Cloud always felt a bit awkward being touched. People unnecessary grabbing you when they have only just met, no thank you. Even things such as this, a friend laying on him, he was definitely not used to. These soft lingering touches where he could feel every bit of warmth from Y/N on him. Her head nuzzled up on his chest, her hand resting on his heart. It was definitely different and new to him.

It wasn’t the worst feeling in the world. He pulled the blankets up and gently placed his arm over her. There was something special about having someone trust you so much that they felt safe not only sleeping next to you but on you as well. He let himself relax more into the bed, listening to quiet breathing from the both of them.

He glanced over to the nightstand to see the clock read 9:43 am. It was a little later than he would have wanted to wake up but it was fine with him. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept in that late. There would still be time to go drop off his deliveries and Y/N to get what she needs. They got into the inn a little late anyway, not like being there was planned anyway. The two of them would still make it back home in time anyway. It wasn't too long of a drive back. They probably would have been home already if it wasn't for the monsters they had to fight the day before and the snow storm that came in.

There was a gap between the curtains that Cloud could see a bit out of as the curtains gently moved around. Outside the window, the wind was gently blowing snow off the trees and dusting the already white ground below. Part of the ground had peeks of grass showing from the sun warming everything up for a new day. At least the snow wouldn’t be sticking around with them, getting in the way more than it already did. For a snow storm there wasn't much snow. Guess Tifa was wrong about the storm part. 

Cloud looked back down at Y/N who was wiggling closer trying to stay warm. He placed the other arm he had at his side. He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled Y/N as close as he possibly could without waking her. He knew he had a problem of accidentally giving the tightest hugs imaginable. Hopefully that didn’t translate over to this as well.

Laying with Y/N in his arms made him feel the most at peace that he's been for a while. It was rare that he ever felt like this, he didn’t even know the last time he felt so at ease. Cloud closed his eyes, he could easily imagine this happening between the two of them daily. Waking up with Y/N in his arms everyday, that sounded like a dream he never knew he even had.

He wasn't sure if he could admit that aloud yet though. He's never been the best with words before anyway. For now Cloud was content with holding Y/N close. He thought for it was at the time but most times in his life when someone else had a crush on him, it was more for his face. It was hard for Cloud to really imagine someone being into him for more than he looks. He had his fair share of problems. He struggled to communicate with others when he needed help. He struggled even in just normal conversation. 

Even if he could tell Y/N how he did feel, he wasn't quite sure how well that would go on his part at least. Knowing Y/N did have a thing for him as well didn’t make him more confident about confessing anything either. He wasn’t even able to tell Tifa that he wanted to be friends with her as children. He thought for being 23 he really, just really didn’t have any of this together.

It annoyed him not knowing what to do about his feelings. He didn’t even know at all that he felt some sort of way about Y/N till two days ago. Well he knew he felt something for her, but he had a habit of ignoring those feelings. Telling himself it was better to bury those thoughts to avoid ruining what good he did have in his life.

He wanted to push this off as a being in the rush of just having multiple life or death situations. That wasn’t the case at all though. There were no life or death situations at all yesterday despite fighting a whole bunch of monsters. Cloud just had to deal with the fact that he had a thing for one of his best friends. How in the hell did he let that happen?

Y/N felt herself being pulled closer to her friend. She tried to ignore it and fall back asleep but it was too much to ignore. Opening her eyes, she was faced with that Cloud's chest had become their pillow at some point in the night. Looking around with just her eyes, she saw that Cloud had his arms wrapped around them. She was being held so tight, like he was afraid to let her go.

Y/N looked up at Cloud. He looked like he was still asleep, yet there was a soft smile upon his face. It felt safe and warm laying in bed there with him. It was intimate without actually being intimate with him. She never thought of Cloud as someone who would want to cuddle. She definitely didn’t want to overthink of why Cloud would be holding her close even though those thoughts were so nice.

It would have been nice to just stay in that moment forever but they still had the day ahead. He still had work to do and she still had to pick stuff up. Getting up and moving around was definitely the higher priority. Even though if the two of them talked, they both might have gotten their silent wish of staying there laying close to each other.

Y/N wiggled out of Cloud's arms and rolled over on their side to check the time on their phone. 10:01 am. As much as she didn’t want to, it was definitely time to get up. They were laying in bed for way too long. Y/N sat up in the bed and gently tapped on the arm that had been around her seconds ago. "Time to get up." 

Cloud sighed in annoyance. Y/N thought it was over being woken up, but it was more over that Y/N wasn't laying upon him snuggled close anymore. How badly he wanted to pull her back down and lay there with her all day. He just wanted the moment of pure relaxation he had with her back. He didn't know he could be that calm.

"Can't lay there forever." Cloud felt the bed shift as Y/N got up and started moving around the room. 

He opened his eyes. "I'm up." He slowly sat up in the bed. He had to wonder, Y/N had to know that he held her not so long ago, why was she quiet about it? Was it awkward for her? Oh did he make it weird? He hoped he didn’t make it weird.

He looked up to Y/N who had her back turned to Cloud changing her shirt. He looked back down immediately trying to avoid any hint of blush on his checks. Y/N had done this in front of him before. She's done that for almost 3 years now and he never thought much of it. Being on the road trying to save the world didn't leave much time for modesty. He thought back on one time that Y/N's shirt got so messed up during a fight that she borrowed one of his for a bit. He never admitted it then but she looked good. Cloud buried his head in his hand. Why did he have to think of that now?

He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. "You okay there?" Y/N gently spoke.

Y/N could easily remember how many times Cloud had an episode. They were always a bit worrying but he stopped having them as frequently as he used to. Cloud was doing better these days especially after that big depressive episode he had when he had geostigma. 

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking." Y/N sat on bed right next to him. She was so close.

"Do you want to talk about what you're thinking of?" She said with concern but still giving him a way out. Cloud was the kind of person to keep things to himself after all.

"I really am fine. Just trying to think of the best way to get home." He lied. He didn't want to worry Y/N but didn't want to say what he was actually thinking about. That might have been a bit embarrassing. His friends really did care about him and he already gave them a hard enough time already with how he was. . 

Y/N was still concerned a bit but bought the lie. She knew it wasn’t best to question him too much. It could push him away and she definitely wanted to avoid losing Cloud. It was like they lost him before when he had that major depressive episode. She thought he was getting better but all progress isn’t linear. 

“I’m gonna finish getting ready then. You should to, unless we plan on staying here another night.” Y/N said standing up to get off of the bed. Cloud thought about it, staying there another night didn’t sound so bad. Especially if he could lay there with Y/N once again. 

Y/N looked over at Cloud and he was out of it. He probably just wanted some coffee. She shook her head with a smile and walked into the bathroom. She closed the door and went to brush her teeth. She guessed it was just going to be one of those days for Cloud. She prepared herself mentally for dealing with a more quiet than normal Cloud. She finished brushing her teeth.

Y/N went to wet her hair before brushing though any tangles. What if Cloud felt her laying there on him? Could that be why he was like this? Was he trying to think of a way to turn her down politely before Y/N could even confess her feelings? Why would Tifa even think anything would work between her and Cloud? None of that even made sense. He was holding her there against him too. 

She continued brushing through her hair. Cloud had been the person to avoid any type of relationship. He always had been ever since she met him. It was really gonna take someone special for that to end. They were just friends and Y/N just had to remain happy with that. There was nothing bad with that. If that’s all they would be she could still be happy with it. She would still have Cloud in her life.

Y/N finished up with hair, putting it in her same favorite hairstyle she had for years. She shook her head trying to get her thoughts away. There was no point in thinking of this, it was better to focus on the day ahead. She opened the door and left the bathroom.

She saw Cloud sitting on the edge of the bed where he was finishing tying his boots up. “Bathroom is yours.”

“Thanks.” 

The two of them finished getting ready before leaving the inn and paying for the night spent there. Outside what snow was on the ground had melted from the morning sun. It was a lot warmer than it was last night when they got into town. It was still chilly but nothing like the freezing temperatures of the night before. With packages in hand the two of them walked around the town, till they stopped at a store.

“I guess I’ll meet you back here later.” Cloud was looking at the address on one of the boxes. He was thinking of which one was the closest to where they were standing right now.

“I’ll see you in a few hours.” Y/N waved goodbye to him as he walked away. She walked into the small art store. It was so long since she had been there. She probably could spend hours there.

“Hello there.” Y/N looked around to see the shop owner standing by the check out.

“Hi.” She waved at the older lady.

“Cute boyfriend you have there.” Y/N laughed as her face warmed. She couldn’t deny that sounded nice.

“Oh he’s just my friend.” Y/N walked over to where the watercolors were stored. She looked at every color trying to find some tubes she didn’t own yet.

“Well you keep telling yourself that.” The shop owner had a friendly teasing voice. “I’ve seen enough people in my lifetime to tell when they have a thing for each other.” She had a very motherly tone.

Y/N picked up and looked at some of the different blues. “Well i guess that must look the same for people who have been fighting side by side for 3 years.” She decided on a navy blue. 

“Well if you two aren’t together, how long have you liked the boy.” Old ladies always have a strange small talk don’t they. Y/N thought about denying everything more to get her to back off. But then again. To get a separate opinion from someone you’ll never see again sounded nice. 

“Maybe a couple months.” Y/N grabbed a vibrant purple that caught her eye. "Either way nothing is gonna happen."

"Well what's the problem? Does he already have his eye on someone else?" 

"Well no. He just has been through so much and is still recovering from it." Y/N grabbed a red she used a lot of.

"Then I see no reason why you shouldn't try. It sounds like you've been there for him so far. Why not make the first move? Life is short."

Y/N shook her head. "I don't want to lose him. He tends to push people away. I just don't want to be that next person." Her hand hovered over a blue that had a greenish tint in it.

"Has he pushed you away before?"

"Once. But he pushed away more than just me." 

"And I take it that he came back."

"He did." Y/N grabbed the blue green. It reminded her of someone's eyes.

"Well if he came back. He must have cared enough to return."

She smiled at the old lady's words. She wasn't wrong. Cloud would never tell anyone aloud but he really did care. Not just her but for so many. Y/N grabbed some paper and headed towards the counter. She placed everything down.

The shop owner started scanning everything. "Give it a shot. I don't think you have much to be afraid of."

Y/N paid the lady and left the art store. She thought about what Tifa had said to her the night before they left. It was similar to things Tifa said many times before. That only practically repeated everything Tifa had said without ever knowing her or Cloud. Maybe she was just an old lady who liked to get everybody she saw standing together to date. Yeah, that just sounds weird.  
She walked her way into a grocery store to go and by Tifa her spices. Maybe if she just ignored everyone who told her to take a chance it would be fine. What did they know besides so far being able to read her and Cloud perfectly.

-

Cloud walked away from his friend. He looked at the addresses on the packages as he walked. They were all fairly close together at least. Looking back up he was able to just enjoy the sights as he walked. It was actually one of his favorite things to do. The world was vast and he traveled around enough to have some good memories from almost everywhere. There had been a few times he took a camera with him. Tifa actually got them printed so his wall had quite a few photos of his travels. 

He only had 3 photos in frames on his desk. They were all of his family. Two of them Y/N actually took the photo. The last one Tifa took. Him and Y/N were in mid laugh over something Barret had said. Y/N was holding on to his arm trying not to fall off the chair. It was during a birthday party they had for Marlene. That was a pretty fun day even for him considering he really didn’t like parties.

He began delivering the packages around the small neighborhood. Any time he tried to think of something, his mind kept going back to Y/N lately. He tried to think nothing of it but it would just start a cycle where he would come back to Y/N. It definitely felt weird to him. Then again weird was like his normal setting. Maybe it was just a different type of weird.

He knew Y/N had a thing for him and he knew he did too. He just had no idea how to act upon it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my shortest chapter and with a holiday weekend coming up, you all get two chapter at the same time.

Y/N stood outside the store by Cloud’s bike. They should be leaving soon. She looked at the weather on her phone. Should just be clear skies the entire way back. That made one less thing to worry about on the ride back home. All they would have to worry about is if anything tried to attack them on the road again. She slid her phone in her pocket.

She pulled a granola bar out of her bag and opened the snack to take a bite out of it. Y/N bought the snack at the small grocery store where she got the spices for Tifa. While holding the granola bar in her mouth, she closed her bag back up not wanting to lose a second one for Cloud to it falling out. 

She continued to munch on the snack while looking at a few ants that were running around on the ground. Looking back up she saw Cloud walking back towards her and the bike. He looked to be in deep thought. Y/N could only wonder what he was thinking about. Cloud sometimes was really expressive when he was in deep thought. This was one of those times. It was kinda cute to watch.

He almost looked to be arguing with himself over something. She hoped it wasn't over anything important. She decided it might be best to bring him out of it to avoid him crashing into anything or anyone while walking over. “Hey, Cloud.” She called out to him, waving with the hand that held her phone.

Cloud looked up hearing his name. He sped up his walk, hoping she hadn’t been waiting too long. He really had taken his time to come back over so they could go back home. 

Y/N took a step toward him as he got close. “I got you a granola bar just in case you were hungry. It's been a while since breakfast and it's going to be a while till we get back and can eat dinner.” She pulled the snack out of her bag and held it out to him.

Cloud took the granola bar from her. “Thanks.” He looked to see what was in it. He wasn’t picky, just curious as to what she thought he would like. It was just a simple chocolate chip. He didn’t have the biggest sweet tooth but he was fond of the simple snack. It was something his mom did give him quite a bit growing up.

He opened up the granola bar and took a bite. It brought him back to being a kid and his mom helping him with homework after school. He could only smile. He felt like a hug from his mom. He sometimes forgot how much he missed her. He only hoped that she would be proud of who he was now. He finished the snack, placing what trash there was in his pocket. He would have to find more of these later.

Cloud and Y/N checked that they had everything before getting on the bike to head back home. Y/N got on behind Cloud, holding on tight to him as she remembered all the bumps they went over before. 

Cloud was definitely glad that she was behind him. A blush was creeping up on his face. He was happy with the time spent together with her on the trip. Even though they hadn’t done much it was nice to have someone there with him. That someone being Y/N made the trip so much better.

They hadn’t been on the road for long before they had to stop. They had run into some drakes. Cloud had tried to just ride past them but they just followed the two of them. With the drakes swooping down at the two of them, they both knew it was better getting off to deal with them before something truly bad would happen.

Y/N didn’t have any Aero materia with her. It would have been a lot quicker of a fight if she did. Cloud didn’t either. She barely had to use Aero that’s why she left it. She frowned at her lack of preparedness. It was like any time she actually needed to use Aero it wasn’t with her.

Y/N stepped around the dirt road focused on dodging the attacks that came from the drakes. She quickly looked over at Cloud who had pulled out two smaller blades from his fusion sword. He was slicing everything that tried to come close. She kept casting spells at the drakes hoping to distract them long enough for Cloud to do some real damage. 

Y/N moved around the road casting a barrier around Cloud. He was focused on drawing all the hits from the drakes on him. With all the attacks that came at him it was best to make sure that he would be okay. As she finished casting her spell one of the drakes came at her, trying to grab her and pull her into the air. Y/N quickly grabbed her knife off of her leg, stabbing at it to get free.

“Little Help Here!!” She called out as the drake’s claw scratched her face drawing some blood.

Cloud sliced down the drake that was in front of him. He looked over at Y/N. Shit, he was too far. “Get Down!” He yelled at her.

Y/N got down only leaving her arm out in front of her for defense. She held her arm up as a shield protecting herself from the drake. Cloud threw one of the swords at the lesser drake, piercing it and knocking it away from Y/N.   
She looked over at Cloud to thank him before quickly casting thunder at a drake that tried to sneak up behind him. The fried drake fell to the ground with a thump. 

Y/N took a breath. “I think that was the last one.” She wanted to lay on the ground for a minute, why were drakes always so annoying. It wasn’t the worst fight they've been in but they could have done better.

Cloud walked over to his friend with a bit more speed then he expected from himself. He held out his hand. “I’m sure I said something about making sure you didn’t get hurt a few days ago.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and took his hand. “I just saved you too. You don’t get to play that card.” Cloud pulled her up off the ground. She fell toward him as she got her footing back. Cloud held her close fearing the moment she walked that she would fall again.

She stood steady as he held her, taking a second to make sure she did regan her balance. “I think I'm good now. Thanks.” She looked up at Cloud. His eyes were completely focused on her. She wanted to take a step away so they could get back on the road but she felt frozen in time.

Cloud brought his hand up to her cheek, brushing his fingers across where the drake had cut her face. He brushed what dirt there was away from the wound. The cut wasn’t deep enough to draw a lot of blood. It wasn’t something to worry about with the cut already beginning to start healing. Y/N held her breath at the touch. “When did this happen?’

“It’s from that drake. It's not a big deal.” She spoke softly. 

"It could have been." He moved his other hand off her arm and placed it on her back. Keeping Y/N close to him.

"You were here. Of course I was going to be okay." She moved her eyes away from focusing on his face. Looking anywhere but directly at him. She felt all kinds of nervous. Rapidly going though any scenario that would play though her head. She hoped Cloud wasn't just messing with her. 

"And what if I wasn't?" He spoke in the same soft voice that Y/N had been as well. He didn't want to freak her out. His touch was gentle, giving her a way out if she ever felt too uncomfortable. 

“You never worried about anything like that before.” Cloud thought about her words. She was right and wrong at the same time. He very much cared about her just in a different way than he had been before.

“Well, It’s different now.” He was blushing at practically everything that he was doing right at that moment. He wanted to question what exactly had gotten into him but he already knew the answer to that. 

She took a breath. “What’s so different now?” Her face felt warm as the words left her mouth.

Cloud moved his hand slightly to adjust Y/N’s to look at him. It grabbed her attention into looking at his eyes. They were soft. She usually had an easy time reading his eyes, used to seeing all the hurt he had gone through there. She for once couldn’t exactly see what was happening. All she knew to do was just relax into his touch.

He tilted his head down so that their foreheads were touching. He stopped there, not wanting to move any closer just in case this was too much for her. His eyes closed, not wanting to see the look on her face. He knew what he overheard but he was still worried that any second Y/N would be angered by his actions. 

Y/N moved her hand up onto the back of his neck. She closed her eyes and pulled Cloud’s head down closing the small distance between them. She placed a soft kiss on his lips. It had all the nerves the two of them shared of getting their feelings out in the open for each other. He was a little stunned over what was actually happening.

She pulled away from the kiss. It was too short for Cloud. He pulled Y/N right back into another kiss. She bought her other hand onto his shoulder and leaned more into the kiss. It was like saying ‘I love you’ for the first time. Yet that friendly ‘I love you’ they were so used to had been changed to something entirely new.

They stayed like that for a moment before pulling away from each other for air. The two of them rested their foreheads against each other. Standing in silence for a second before trying to hold back shared laughter. They broke, laughing while continuing to hold each other close. 

“Why did this take so long?” Y/N spoke while hiding her face in his neck.

“Cause I can't see what’s right in front me.” Cloud dropped the hand he had on her check, placing it around her back. “Never thought I deserved any of this.” He let out a breath, fully relaxed now. “You know I’m new to this.”

“We could just take things slow." 

"That would be nice." 

-

Cloud and Y/N had been back home for over a week before Tifa had any idea that something had happened between the two of them. Tifa had gone to Y/N's room to ask where Cloud had run off to. She walked in Y/N curled up on Cloud. He had an arm wrapped around his sleeping girlfriend while he was reading a book. It would have been an almost normal sight for Tifa only if she hadn't seen Cloud lean down to give a kiss on Y/N's forehead. 

How the heck did she miss out on two of her best friends finally getting together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who read and enjoyed my short story here. Hopefully I'll come up with something else to write soon. This really reminded me why i love writing and why I missed it so much. I really recommend getting back into old hobbies. its nice.


End file.
